6 Stray Rats from Warrington; A Plea from a Rescue to STOP Dumping Pets (Cedar, Primrose, Azalea, Jasmin, Lily, and Bimble)

We were contacted regarding a case that Rescue Me Animal Rescue needed assistance with. They'd located stray rats in Warrington; sadly, there were also the bodies of many deceased pet rats local to the area the rats were found. Usually, one wouldn't be able to confidently rule out that these rats were actually lost pets, however, in this case, we had substantial amounts of evidence to believe they had been dumped; given that cardboard boxes had been sighted with the names of all the lost rats written on them. 

These images will be shared at the end of the post (a clear warning will be given for those who prefer not to see them).

Although there were lives that couldn't be saved, a fantastic effort was made by members of the public. Had it not been for their efforts, we wouldn't have been able to save 6 rats from whatever hell lay ahead for them. 

Image taken from Rescue Me social media

When the rats arrived, we ensured they went straight into quarantine as we couldn't rule out contagious, potentially zoonotic diseases. The vast majority of issues seen were infected wounds, tumours, diarrhea/GI issues, and respiratory issues. The rats were all slim but not emaciated, but their overall condition was very poor. We had 5 females; Primrose, Azalea, Jasmin, Lily, and Bimble and one male; Cedar.

Introducing the Rats:

Cedar:

Cedar was the only male so he had to be kept alone for his initial quarantine period. Cedar was in the best condition and only had a respiratory infection. He was showing signs of chronic disease, but usually this can still be managed. 

He was introduced to a 30-day course of oral Enrofloxacin and Doxycyline in an attempt to resolve his infection.

Primrose:

Primrose was surrendered with evident pyoderma and was showing signs of mid-late stage pregnancy. We were discouraged from using anything such as Cabergoline and Alizin at this stage.

Oral antibiotics weren't required, but we did apply topical flamazine which helped resolve the issue. She was also treated with topical Ivermectin to treat any parasitic infection, but little response was seen. We tried topical Selamectin which worked much better.

Azalea:

Azalea had a very concerning mass (initially suspected to be infection and a granuloma) around her genital area.

Initially, we were treating with oral nsaids and topical Flamazine, but we will touch on the final outcome later in this post. 

Jasmin:

Jasmin was the last rat to be captured by volunteers. She had large lesions on her back and had a severe infected bite wound to her foot. Due to the severity of infection, oral antibiotics and nsaids were required.

Lily:

Lily had numerous lesions all over her body and her skin was extremely sensitive; she even had sunburn in areas due to her lack of fur. We applied flamazine to the areas that needed it. She was also on oral antibiotics for a respiratory infection; similarly to Cedar, she had signs of chronic disease. Prior to administering antibiotics, she also had diarrhea. We put this down to a sudden change in diet/poor nutrition whilst a stray. We took this into consideration and also aided her with probiotics and dioralyte. 

Bimble:

Bimble was badly injured and had a large cranial inguinal mammary tumour. Her injuries were severe enough that she wasn't a good candidate for surgery until her body had healed some more. One of her front paws was badly injured and infected; she would lose some of her digits due to lack of blood supply to the area causing necrosis. She had a thickened hind limb which was likely due to previous trauma. She had a large and severe injury to her back as well. She required oral and topical antibiotics, nsaids, as well as probiotics and dioralyte. 

What Happened Next?

The tragic thing about rescue is realising you cannot save them all. You can do everything by the book, everything as instructed, but life isn't always fair - it's actually rather cruel. Primrose and Azalea met their end not too long after arriving. 

Azalea:

Azalea was the first of the Warrington rats we lost. The thickening of the tissue around her vulva and urethra was unresponsive to treatment. By now the area had metastasized; there were deep pockets of infection and bleeding in the area. We'd trialed 2 different classes of oral antibiotics and various topical agents too. At this point, the vet suspected a carcinoma or sarcoma. Usually, we would remove tumours wherever possible, but this tumour was in a near impossible location to remove without causing severe complications post-op. Even if the tumour was removed successfully, the chances of tissue breakdown were practically inevitable. It wouldn't be too long before the area would become too painful to manage, even causing urinary issues. The kindest option to let Azalea go to prevent undue suffering. 

Despite the horrors she went through, Azalea was a trusting and loving rat. She had endless amounts of love to give. We are glad she was able to experience a few weeks of security and love before her passing. Azalea was put to sleep on the 14th of September 2020.

Primrose:

Primrose was one of the hardest deaths we've ever had to contemplate since we started rescuing. It felt circumstantial and preventable and had she never been dumped, or at least arrived just a week or so earlier - maybe it would likely never had happened. 

We knew she was showing signs of pregnancy and, under veterinary advice, we were told it was risky to attempt abortion given the circumstances. It was also too late to attempt a spay as well. We would never find out if she had become pregnant by the other male fancy rats released (as some of the bodies at the sight were male, as well as Cedar), or if there was a potential she was impregnated by a wild rat.

Primrose was showing signs of labor on a late Tuesday evening. By Wednesday morning she was experiencing symptoms of dyscotia and over the next few hours we were on the phone to the vet frequently. She had birthed 2 stillborn pups and one malformed, underdeveloped pup. At this point we were aware that Primrose would likely have a "dead litter". Without fetal movements and hormones, it explained why labor was quite delayed. After 6 stillborn pups, Primrose was rushed into the vets as we suspected she had slipped into haemorhagic shock. She was admitted immediately. She had become anaemic and weak; uterine tears were possible, but she had lost too much blood at this point to attempt a spay. Despite intense veterinary intervention, Primrose passed away on September the 17th 2020.

Afterwards you're faced with so many questions about how things could've been done differently; should we have tried this? Did we miss something? Did we make the right decisions?

The Successes: 

Bimble:

Bimble went on to have her mammary tumour removed and she handled the surgery brilliantly. She had some permanent mobility issues, but nothing that held her back too much. 

Jasmin:

Jasmin's wounds all healed up well and she had a fantastic life here before passing away from old age in the comfort of her own home.

Cedar:

Cedar found companionship with the sanctuary male rats. He lived out his days here with us so we could best manage his respiratory disease.

Lily:

Lily lived with our sanctuary females alongside her friends Jasmin and Bimble. She struggled with chronic respiratory disease and chronic skin diseases too. She had a few surgeries during her life with us but lived life to the fullest.

A Final Message:

Though we have some happy endings, we can't help but feel the others were robbed of their chances of a better and happier life. Ultimately, we know this post won't put an end to the abandonment of pets. But, we hope it is able to show some insight on the undeniable suffering these rats went through in order to obtain a peaceful life.

The following photos will contain graphic images including themes of death as a result of abandonment. These images are being shared to demonstrate the level of cruelty involved in this case and to show the real fate of many dumped pets. Please, do not release domestic pets. They cannot survive for long on their own.